“Bridge the gap is my getaway, it helps me achieve some sort of normality in my week.“

Tom - Bridge the Gap Oxford

change the narrative.

Millions of people love football, but don’t know Jesus. We exist to Bridge the Gap.

Bridge the Gap partners with churches to create safe, welcoming footballing communities for young people of all backgrounds and beliefs aged 11-30.

Our programme exists as a response to two big problems:

77% of people will struggle with their mental health at some point in their life. But just 40% have ever spoken to anyone about it.
When we founded in 2019, just 4% of young people regularly attended church.

Meeting people where they are at on the football pitch fosters community, establishes trust, and improves the physical and mental wellbeing of our players.

Combine this with our off the pitch socials, Alpha courses, and 1-1 mentorship, and the ball’s in the back of the net!

the three pillars

Community

We are passionate about people, not football. We are in the business of relationships. We are intentional about listening, loving and creating a safe space where 11-30 year olds can be accepted no matter who they are, what they’ve done or what they believe - on and off the football pitch. By 2029 we will create 150 football sites across the UK so anyone who wants to join our community can reach one, taking our engagement to over 50,000 people.

Leadership

The harvest is plentiful and the workers are few. By partnering with local churches who are rooted in serving their community we recruit and develop BTG leaders, equipping and releasing them into the mission field. We believe leaders will develop leaders so we can see generations of people come to know Jesus through football. By 2029 we want to have 1000 new mission-focused church leaders throughout the UK.

Transformation

There is a mental health crisis amongst young people today. We combat this by creating spaces where people can find community, develop friendships and open up about the good and bad bits of life. Our players also get the opportunity to have their lives transformed by Jesus. We believe the Alpha course is one of the best tools to introduce people to the Christian faith. As one of Alpha’s official international ministry collaborations, of the 63% of our players who said they have been invited to do an Alpha course, 61% accepted!

the journey

It started with a vision to provide a space where young men could find true belonging and hope. In 2019, our journey began with two locations on the south coast of the UK in Southampton & Portsmouth.

Fast forward 5 years and we now have 30 locations across the UK. Not just helping men, but women and youth find transformation through getting connected into church and Alpha via our welcoming football communities.

We engage with over 1000 young people every week, with an incredible team of over 200 volunteers and 5 full time staff members making the vision a reality.

Our vision is to have 150 locations across the world by 2029, engaging with over 6,000 people every single week.

Join us on the journey!

roadmap to 2029